Joe DiTullio

There are a lot of great prospects for Texas A&M, but unfortunately the case isn’t the same for Kansas State in the 2016 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl. The talent discrepancy is apparent, but Kansas State will play any team tough. The Aggies’ prospects will have to step up for them to win. Here are the prospects to watch from this bowl game:

Kansas State Wildcats

Jordan Willis, DE

Projected Draft Range: Seventh round-undrafted free agent

Jordan Willis (Photo courtesy: zimbio.com)

Willis has produced this season with 11.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. He can stop the run and rush the passer, but may lack the necessary athleticism to be successful at the next level. At six foot five and 260 pounds, he is strong at the point of attack and is a good size for NFL teams.

Texas A&M Aggies

Myles Garrett, DE

Projected Draft Range: Top five

Garrett is one of the premier talents in the draft class. He is an elite pass rusher, but still really good at stopping the run too. Unless character issues or injuries come up about him, he will be taken in the top five. Minor injuries have plagued him this season. He has great size at six feet five inches tall and 270 pounds and will fit right in athletically.

Justin Evans, S

Projected Draft Range: Second Round-Fourth Round

Justin Evans (Photo courtesy: thebatt.com)

With decent size at six feet tall and 200 pounds, Evans just needs to add muscle to have an NFL body. He is a great tackler and had multiple games with over ten tackles. If Evans wants to improve his draft stock, he has to prove he can guard NFL-level receivers and tight ends.

Josh Reynolds, WR

Projected Draft Range: Sixth Round-Undrafted Free Agent

Reynolds has great size for an NFL receiver at six feet three inches tall. He has been productive with 885 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions. For Reynolds, he needs to prove that he can create separation consistently to be taken seriously at the next level. Big plays are his forte right now, but some consistency would go a long way to making him a good NFL player.

Daeshon Hall, DE

Projected Draft Range: Third Round-Fifth Round

Hall gets overlooked because he plays on the opposite side of Garrett, but he is a legit pro prospect himself. He has great size like Garrett at six feet six inches tall and 270 pounds. He isn’t as athletic as Garrett and isn’t the same pass rusher as him, but is still good at both. Hall is a solid run defender and can hope to use that to bolster his draft stock.

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Kansas State has been a solid team that not many people have talked about all year, while Texas A&M fizzled down the stretch, as the two teams meet in the 2016 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl.

Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies were hot for the first two months of the season, but lost four of their last six games to finish at 8-4. They have good wins over Tennessee, UTSA, Auburn, Arkansas and South Carolina. Their loss to Ole Miss was the only one to a bowl ineligible team.

Trevor Knight was doing a solid job as quarterback for the Aggies, before getting injured and missing the rest of the season. Jake Hubenak took over and actually had a better completion percentage at 59%. That still isn’t great, but he is growing as a quarterback in his first career starts. He also had six touchdowns and two interceptions.

Myles Garrett (photo courtesy: profootballfocus.com)

Texas A&M has a lot of good receivers that can make plays once the ball is in their hands. Josh Reynolds, Christian Kirk, Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil all have produced for the Aggies. They might have the deepest receiving core in the country. The production isn’t always there for these guys, but the talent is. Reynolds and Kirk have had the best seasons with over 800 receiving yards on the season.

Freshman running back Trayveon Williams has been a great find for Texas A&M. He eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark with 1,024 rushing yards and added eight rushing touchdowns. His ability to catch passes out of the backfield has also helped the offense move the ball. Keith Ford is more of the power back and gets carries when Williams comes out. He has 583 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

The rush defense for the Aggies has been extremely average, allowing 190 yards per game. For Texas A&M pass defense is the issue as they give up 284 yards per game.

Myles Garrett has been a force to be reckoned with ever since he came on campus. He will likely be the number one pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Armani Watts has also helped out a lot with pass defense, but may not play with a knee injury.

Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats were a quiet 8-4 team that no one seems to notice. They only lost to teams they should have and all of them are in bowl games. Their two wins over bowl eligible teams came over Baylor and TCU.

Jesse Ertz has done it all for the Wildcats at the quarterback position. He has only thrown for 1,560 yards and eight touchdowns, but adds the capability to move the ball with his legs. As the team’s leading rusher, Ertz has run through tacklers for 945 yards and ten touchdowns.

Jordan Willis (Photo courtesy: chatsports.com)

Byron Pringle has made the most of Ertz’s few passing yards. He only has three touchdowns, but does have 524 receiving yards.

Kansas State doesn’t play around once they get to the goal line. They hand it off to their fullback, Winston Dimel, who ran it into the end zone for 12 touchdowns this season. They use a plethora of backs to move the ball other than Dimel. Alex Barnes is a threat for big plays at 7.9 yards per carry.

The Wildcats have a great rush defense that allows just 113 yards on the ground per game. They get torched in the passing game though and give up 270 yards per game.

Defensive lineman Jordan Willis has terrorized opposing offensive lines with 11.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. He needs to get to the quarterback fast to stop the Aggies from being able to pass the ball effectively.

Prediction

Texas A&M has too much talent to lose this game. They have NFL level talent on a lot of different levels of their offense and defense. Garrett will have a great last game as an Aggie and show his ability to stop the run as well as rush the passer.

Texas A&M Aggies 31 Kansas State 22

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Indiana and Utah match-up in the Foster Farms Bowl, where a lot of NFL prospects will be facing off. There will particularly be a lot of lineman to watch in this game. Here are the best draft prospects from this game:

Indiana Hoosiers

Dan Feeney, OG

Projected Draft Range: first round-third round

Dan Feeney (Photo courtesy: chicagotribune.com)

Feeney was one of the best guards in the class before the season and has done nothing to change that. At six feet four inches, he has the necessary size to be a good NFL guard for years to come. He has all of the necessary skills you would want in a guard. He can both run block and pass block really well. His mobility is also great as he can pull on running plays and move to pick up blitzers too.

Utah Utes

Garrett Bolles, OT

Projected Draft Range: first round-third round

Bolles will be one of the first tackles taken off the board in the 2017 NFL Draft. His physicality has helped Joe Williams successfully un-retire and rush for over 1,000 yards. He has to prove that he can pass block well to move up into the first round. If he plays well in this bowl game and performs well leading up to the NFL Draft, he can leap up draft boards.

Marcus Williams, S

Projected Draft Range: first round- third round

Marcus Williams (Photo courtesy: sltrib.com)

At six feet tall and 190 pounds, Williams will need to bulk up before the NFL season. He has the necessary cover skills to even play some corner back if a team chooses to use him that way. He is a turnover machine for the Utes with four interceptions and two forced fumbles. In the 2017 NFL draft, Williams will be one of the first five safeties taken and the team who takes him will be satisfied.

Lowell Lotulelei, DT

The younger brother of Star, Lotulelei isn’t quite the prospect his brother was. Lowell isn’t a slouch though. He is six feet two inches tall and 310 pounds. Double teams aren’t always enough to stop him from getting to the ball carrier. He has an impressive seven tackles for loss on the season. One area he can improve is his pass rushing, with only 3.5 sacks recorded on the season.

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The Utah Utes will be taking on Big Ten representative, Indiana in the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl.

Indiana Hoosiers

Tom Allen has taken over coaching duties from Kevin Wilson, who was relieved of his duties after allegations of him assaulting players surfaced. The Hoosiers went 6-6 on the season. Their only win over a bowl eligible team was over Maryland. The good news is that Indiana lost to six bowl teams.

Tegray Scales (Photo courtesy: Hoosierhuddle.com)

Richard Lagow makes the offense go for the Hoosiers. He is a gun-slinger with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Lagow picked up a lot of yardage for Indiana throwing the ball. He finished with 3,174 passing yards, but hasn’t always been accurate with the ball.

Lagow has a lot of good receivers to throw to, but Nick Westbrook is the best. He has 915 yards receiving and five receiving touchdowns. The sophomore has great size that he uses to advantage at six foot three inches tall.

Running back Devine Redding has been the bell cow for the Hoosiers. He has 1,050 rushing yards this season to go with his six rushing touchdowns. Redding has been good at keeping defenses honest, so Lagow can throw the ball with more open targets.

The Hoosiers have been above average at stopping the run, giving up only 152 yards per game. Their pass defense is also decent, allowing 220 yards per game.

Junior linebacker Tegray Scales leads the nation in solo tackles with 87 and has been making plays for the Hoosiers all season long.

Utah Utes

The Utes started off the season hot, but then faltered down the stretch to finish at 8-4. They have good wins over BYU and USC. Utah lost to two teams who didn’t make bowl games in California and Oregon.

Troy Williams didn’t have the greatest season in his first full season as a starter, but was a decent signal caller. He threw for 2,579 yards and 15 touchdowns. Williams adds the ability to make plays with his legs, but doesn’t always do do. Taking care of the football has to be his top priority in this game, as the Utes rely on winning the turnover battle.

Joe Williams (Photo courtesy: desertnews.com)

Utah has a variety of receivers that they can go to. The best target is Tim Patrick, who finished the season with 684 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.

The running back position had so many injuries that Utah got a guy out of retirement to help them. Joe Williams surged back out of retirement to rush for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns in just eight games. His ability to run the ball and control the clock, with the help of the offensive line, is what makes Utah’s offense good.

Utah has been physical at the point of attack on defense, which has resulted in them allowing just 130 rushing yards per game. Unfortunately the pass defense is suspect at best, giving up 257 yards per game.

Hunter Dimick has been one of the best pass rushers in the country with 14.5 sacks. Defensive back Marcus Williams has helped them win a lot of turnover battles with four interceptions on the season.

Prediction

The Utes will win this game because of their physicality and their ability to control the clock. Joe Williams won’t regret coming out of retirement.

Utah Utes 43 Indiana Hoosiers 21

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There are a lot of prospects in the Russell Athletic Bowl between the Miami Hurricanes and the West Virginia Hurricanes. Miami has a lot of players all over the NFL, but West Virginia has produced some NFL talent as well, including first round pick Karl Joseph. There are plenty of prospects to watch in this game, but these are the most notable:

West Virginia Mountaineers

Rasul Douglas, CB

Projected Draft Range: fourth round-sixth round

Douglas is a big corner back that can match up with a lot of the taller receivers in the NFL. He is a ball hawk with eight interceptions on the season. His speed will be questioned, as many of the bigger corners get questioned. This match-up will present him with a chance to guard a lot of good receivers and go up against a good college quarterback.

Tyler Orlosky, C

Projected Draft Range: third round-fifth round

Tyler Orlosky, (Photo courtesy: hailwv.com)

Orlosky is one of the best centers in the class, the problem is that centers aren’t normally drafted as highly as they should be. He has good size at six feet four inches and 296 pounds. Because the Mountaineers run a system offense, Orlosky will have to show that he knows blitz pick ups and pre-snap recognition. If he can do that, Orlosky may get a chance to start from day one depending on the team that drafts him.

Miami Hurricanes

Brad Kaaya, QB

Projected Draft Range: third round-fifth round

He should probably go back to school for his senior season, but Kaaya will get selected if he decides to enter the draft. Kaaya has shown that he is able to do most things well. One area he can work on is how he handles pressure. Kaaya also isn’t very mobile. With some work he could develop into a nice NFL quarterback.

Stacey Coley, WR

Projected Draft Range: fourth round-sixth round

Coley is one of the fastest players in the class and will have a chance to prove that at the draft combine. That is his main asset. He has shown signs of being able to also be a possession receiver with 12.1 yards per reception. Coley is only 185 pounds so he needs to add some weight to his frame to be a durable NFL receiver.

David Njoku, TE

Projected Draft Range: third round-fifth round

David Njoku (Photo courtesy: zimbio.com)

There are a lot of good tight ends in this class, so Njoku can be a steal for a team later in the draft. He only has 38 receptions on the season, but has made the most of them with 654 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. NJoku is only listed at six feet four inches tall, so he has to measure at least that at the combine to be seen as a viable tight end at the next level.

Rayshawn Jenkins, S

Projected Draft Range: fifth round-seventh round

Jenkins has great size at six foot two inches and 210 pounds. He isn’t afraid of coming up and making tackles and had 14 total tackles against North Carolina. Jenkins only has two interceptions, but has the necessary ball skills with a lot of passes defended. Speed will be a big question with Jenkins.

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The West Virginia Mountaineers had a ten win season and earned the right to play the Miami Hurricanes in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl.

West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia only lost to the two schools from Oklahoma in the Big 12 on the season. Both of those schools are playing in great bowl games, so they aren’t bad losses. The Mountaineers have beaten numerous bowl eligible teams including: Kansas State, BYU, TCU and Baylor.

Skyler Howard (Photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Quarterback Skyler Howard wasn’t recruited by a lot of schools, but has made the most of his time at West Virginia. This season he has thrown for 3,194 yards and 26 touchdowns. He has a completion percentage that is mundane at 60% and 10 interceptions thrown, but is for the most part a reliable quarterback.

Shelton Gibson is the big play receiver for the Mountaineers with an average of 23.3 yards per catch and eight receiving touchdowns. Daikel Shorts is the possession receiver with 833 receiving yards and 58 catches. With thirteen receivers with passes caught, the Mountaineers have plenty of play-makers to throw to.

Running back Justin Crawford has a staggering 7.4 yards per rush this season and has 1,168 rushing yards. They have three other rushers with over 400 yards rushing. Most would think a Dana Holgorsen offense would be more of a passing attack, but West Virginia is really balanced.

The rush defense of the Mountaineers is average, allowing 176 yards per game. The pass defense is the problem for the Mountaineers as they allow 256 yards per game. They need to hope their offense can outscore the other team.

Rasul Douglas has been a ball hawk as a corner with eight interceptions. He will need to help the Mountaineers win the turnover margin to win the game.

Miami Hurricanes

Mark Richt has had a decent first year as the head coach of Miami and finished at 8-4. They lost four in a row in the middle of the season, which included a bad loss to a four win Notre Dame team. The Hurricanes doe have good wins against Appalachian State, Georgia Tech and NC State.

Brad Kaaya has had a tremendous junior season with 3,250 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has done a pretty good job of protecting the football. Kaaya does a lot of things well, but has yet to realize his full potential. Kaaya is a good college quarterback who is capable of getting the Hurricanes a win in this game.

Brad Kaaya (Photo courtesy: miamiherald.com)

Kaaya has three really good targets. Tight end David Njoku is a reliable target that could be drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. Stacy Coley has the most catches (58) and touchdowns (nine) on the team. Ahmmon Richards has 866 receiving yards to help Miami move the chains.

Mark Walton has rushed for over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. He wasn’t supposed to be the starting running back, but has made the most of his opportunity. Joseph Yearby has added 592 rushing yards on the season.

The rush defense of Miami has been solid, allowing 135 rushing yards per game. Miami is average at pass defense and gives up 220 passing yards per game.

Defensive lineman Joe Jackson has been a force with 7.5 sacks on the season. He will be tasked with getting pressure on Skylar Howard.

Prediction

The balance of the West Virginia offense will keep the Hurricanes on their toes. Howard will have a good final game and be sent off with a victory.

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The New Era Pinstripe Bowl pits the Northwestern Wildcats versus the Pittsburgh Panthers. This game will feature several NFL prospects, but they will mostly be watched when Pittsburgh has the ball and Northwestern is on defense. Here are the prospects to watch in this bowl game:

Northwestern Wildcats

Anthony Walker, LB

Projected Draft Range: second round-fourth round

Anthony Walker (Photo courtesy: omaha.com)

Walker entered the season as one of the best linebackers in the country. He may have been passed on some big boards by some other linebackers, but Walker is still a great player. Walker had 120 total tackles last season and added 98 this season. His greatest strength is his speed, as he closes down on ball carriers quickly. He is also pretty good in coverage, which means he can play every down at the NFL level.

Pittsburgh Panthers

James Conner, RB

Projected Draft Range: fourth round-sixth round

If teams want a running back with power, Conner is their man. He has a tremendous stiff arm and runs through multiple arm tackles before being brought down. At six foot two and 235 pounds, Conner is a load for defenders to bring down. Toughness is his greatest quality on the field, as he takes blow after blow and continues to run hard. He has beaten cancer and a torn ACL, so toughness is something he carries off the field as well. He has added the ability to catch out of the backfield this season, which will only help his draft value.

Adam Bisnowaty, OT

Projected Draft Range: second round-fourth round

Adam Bisnowaty (Photo courtesy: youtube.com)

Bisnowaty is a player that can shoot up draft boards before draft day. There aren’t many great tackles in this class, but teams love taking offensive linemen early in the draft. He has good size at six feet six inches and 305 pounds. His run blocking has been great for Conner, but there is a bit to be desired in pass blocking. He hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t pass blocked as well as other top prospects.

Dorian Johnson, OG

Projected Draft Range: first round-third round

Johnson, like Bisnowaty, has great size at six feet five inches and 315 pounds. Also like Bisnowaty, Johnson has shown to be a good run blocker to help open up holes for Conner. He will need to show necessary mobility to pull on run plays and pick up pass rushers on pass plays, but he should have the strength to handle most players after he engages them. Johnson is one of the best guards in the class, but guards don’t usually get drafted as highly as tackles.

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The ACC and Big Ten match-up in the 2016 New Era Pinstripe Bowl with the Pittsburgh Panthers taking on the Northwestern Wildcats.

Pittsburgh Panthers

The Panthers had a fantastic season and finished at 8-4. Their good wins include two teams who will be playing in the New Year’s Six Bowl Games. In the beginning of the season they beat Penn State and at the end Clemson. Their only losses were defeats suffered to bowl eligible teams.

Quarterback Nathan Peterman had a great senior season for the Panthers. He lost his favorite receiver Tyler Boyd to the NFL, but still played well. Peterman threw for 2,602 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and only six interceptions. His 60% completion percentage isn’t efficient. In this game Peterman will need to protect the football and help move the chains, while not worrying about creating big plays.

Jester Welsh is the best receiver for the Broncos with 795 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Peterman can spread the ball around, with 14 receivers having caught a pass (including him).

James Conner (Photo courtesy: nflmocks.com)

Running Back James Conner has been one of the best stories of the college football season. He has beaten cancer and recovered from a torn ACL. After all of that, hes still rushed for 1,060 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. He is a great power back and uses a stiff arm well to fend off would-be tacklers.

Pittsburgh’s run defense is why they have been so good this season. They allow just 109 rushing yards per game which ranks ninth in the nation. The problem is their pass defense is atrocious. They give up the second most passing yards in the country, 343 yards per game.

Ejuan Price has been one of the best pass rushers in the country with 12 sacks on the season. Jordan Hood has been a good help in the secondary with 46 solo tackles.

Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats were thought to be a contender for the Big Ten West title, but ended up disappointing. They started at 0-2 which included a loss to FCS Illinois State. They bounced back to finish at 6-4. Their other losses were all to bowl eligible FBS teams. Northwestern had only one win over a bowl eligible team, which came when they defeated Iowa.

Clayton Thorson was one of the most improved players in all of college football this season. The quarterback threw 2,968 yards and 21 touchdowns, while only throwing eight interception. That’s not too bad for a quarterback that was supposed to be more of the running variety. He hasn’t added many rushing yards this season, but is still a danger on the ground.

Anthony Walker Jr. (Photo courtesy: si.com)

Wide receiver Austin Carr was the best receiver in the Big Ten this season. He finished the season with 1,196 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. They don’t throw the ball down field a lot, but the Wildcats make the most of a lot of short throws.

Justin Jackson has had a fantastic season, rushing for 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns. He averages 4.9 yards per carry, but has the capability to rip off long runs and change field position.

Giving up 137 rushing yards per game, the Wildcats are good at stopping the run. The pass defense has been awful allowing 265 yards per game.

Anthony Walker is the best player on the Northwestern defense. He finished the season with 93 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. Walker is also decent in coverage and will be playing on Sundays soon.

Prediction

The Pitt run defense will shut down Jackson and Thorson in the run game. After they are shut down, Peterman will protect the football and Conner will chew the clock to get Pitt the win.

Pittsburgh Panthers 27 Northwestern Wildcats 17

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The 2016 Cactus Bowl will feature athletes at skill positions. Boise State has had some of their skill position players have successful careers, like Doug Martin and Jay Ajayi. Baylor has had a new surge of skill position players at the NFL level. The most successful ones have been: Corey Coleman, Kendall Wright and Terrance Williams. Players in this game will be hoping to have careers like the people who paved the way for their schools. Here are the players to watch in this game:

Boise State Broncos

Jeremy McNichols, RB

Projected Draft Range: Third round-fifth round

Jeremy McNichols (Photo courtesy: Yahoo)

McNichols is a do-it-all back for the Broncos. He is undersized at five feet nine inches, but has a solid weight of 212 pounds. At the very least, McNichols will be a solid third down back at the next level. He has had two season of over 450 yards receiving, making him a good target out of the backfield. His vision and quickness are his best attributes and he uses them to find holes and rip off big gains. With a deep running back class, McNichols versatility as a running back is a competitive advantage.

Baylor Bears

Kyle Fuller, C

Projected Draft Range: Fourth round-sixth round

Fuller has good size at six feet four inches tall and 310 pounds. He is very strong and can move his man off the ball in the running game. Fuller will need to demonstrate mobility and pass blocking in order to improve his draft stock from this range. The good news is he has a lot of tape this season, due to how many plays Baylor runs. With all of the plays, the offense has really been effective, which should help his case.

Orion Stewart, S

Projected Draft Range: Sixth round-undrafted free agent

Orion Stewart (Photo courtesy: cbssports.com)

If a team is looking for a do-it-all safety in the later rounds of the draft, Orion Stewart’s name might come up. He isn’t afraid to tackle with 76 total tackles on the season. He has blitzed well and recorded three tackles for loss. Stewart is a ball-hawk with five interceptions on the season. Making his stats more impressive is that he has one of those interceptions returned for a touchdowns. He has good size for a safety at six feet two, but needs to add strength for the next level.

KD Cannon, WR

Projected Draft Range: Sixth round-undrafted free agent

Cannon isn’t the tallest receiver at six feet tall and 180 pounds. He is quick and fast which will be his best assets. Cannon will be able to create separation at the NFL level, but may not do it as often as in college. The main thing that Cannon will need to work on is his route running. Teams that want a guy who can develop into a receiver with time in the later round will look in Cannon’s direction.

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Baylor struggled down the stretch and won’t catch any breaks, as they play Boise State in the 2016 Motel 6 Cactus Bowl.

Boise State Broncos

Another year and Boise State has another ten win season. They only lost on the road to very good teams, Wyoming and Air Force. They beat a lot of bowl eligible teams including: Hawaii, Colorado State, BYU and Washington State.

Brett Rypien has had one of the best seasons for a college football quarterback, but people still might not know who he is. The sophomore quarterback has thrown for 3,341 yards and 23 touchdowns. The best thing that Rypien has done is protect the football and has only six interceptions on the year. He is reliable, but some will question whether he can protect the football in big games, as he threw three of his interceptions against Washington State.

Boise State has two different 1,000 yard receivers. Thomas Sperbeck has 1,193 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. Cedrick Wilson has been more of a big play receiver with 1,041 yards on 20.8 yards per catch and ten touchdowns. These two both being good means that Baylor likely can’t double team one, because the other will light them up.

Jeremy McNichols (Photo courtesy: AP)

Jeremy McNichols has said that he will leave for the NFL Draft. He is one of the best all around backs in college football. McNichols rushed for 1,663 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has added value, in that, he has 450 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Shiftiness and quickness are two traits that McNichols brings to the table to help out in both rushing and receiving.

The Broncos has a below average rush defense that allows 180 yards per game. Their pass defense is solid and gives up just 200 yards per game.

Linebacker Ben Weaver has been the best player on the Boise State defense. He has been all over the field with 99 total tackles.

Baylor Bears

Baylor started off the season hot, but faltered down the stretch to finish 6-6. They won six straight and then lost six straight to get to the .500 mark. They beat one bowl eligible team on the season in Oklahoma State. Their losses to bowl ineligible teams include Texas and Texas Tech.

Seth Russell was the starting quarterback for the Bears, but he had a gruesome leg injury that ended his season. Zach Smith filled in to throw for 1,151 yards and ten touchdowns on 56% completion percentage. That is decent for a freshman quarterback, but he needs to play better than he ever has to get Baylor a win.

KD Cannon (Photo courtesy: nfl.com)

KD Cannon has been the best receiver for Baylor. He finished the regular season with 945 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. Behind Cannon, the Bears have three other receivers that have over 400 yards receiving.

The second leading rusher, Shock Linwood, will not be playing in the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. That means the bulk of the carries will go to Terence Williams, their leading rusher. He has 945 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. The sophomore is capable of carrying the load for the Bears.

Baylor has a terrible run defense that allows 211 yards per game. The pass defense is more highly rated and gives up 224 yards per game.

Defensive Back Orion Stewart has been great at forcing turnovers with five interceptions. He will be tasked with shutting down one of the 1,000 yard receivers from Boise State.

Prediction

Baylor has shown their heart isn’t in this anymore. Boise State always shows up to play in big games. The Broncos will use McNichols in the running game to set up the passing game, while the defense gets enough stops to win the game.

Boise State Broncos 41 Baylor Bears 26

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